Collapsible containers

ABSTRACT

A system whereby a collapsible box may be formed in the same way that standard cardboard boxes are made by folding a single sheet of material is provided. Square and rectangular boxes may be constructed which may be collapsed down to compact size and easily popped open. Boxes so constructed remain fully assembled with all seams and edges attached even as they are repeatedly folded and unfolded. The box may be made of corrugated cardboard or plastic and easily folded to a fraction of their open volume. The box may open instantly, and when opened, it becomes structural—that is resistant to applied loads—by “popping” certain points outwards. An element or construction that is comprised of a sheet of material that has been provided with a network of hinges such that when the element is folded its edges maintain a right angle relationship is also provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application claims priority of Provisional Application No.60/697,420, filed Jul. 8, 2005.

It is often useful to have a container or box that may be collapsed to asmall volume when not in use and then expanded when needed. A number ofdifferent products have been developed for use in both consumer andindustrial markets.

Standard corrugated boxes do, of course, fold down to a flat sheet andare often transported in this folded state. Later, when ready for use,they are unfolded and various flaps are attached in order to make themrigid. The time taken to prepare the box for use, while not extensive,is often not convenient and discourages repeated use of the box.

An alternative collapsible box design is made of rigid perforated panelsand resembles a standard milk crate. It is comprised of a top and bottompanel, as well as sides that are articulated allowing it to fold. Thistype of box is distributed both as a consumer product as well as forindustrial use.

This design has several drawbacks. The number of parts is relativelylarge, leading to higher costs. Another limitation is that it is notpossible to seal this type of box due to its perforated sides and thedifficulty of sealing hinged panels.

As an alternative to collapsible boxes assembled from multiple parts, Ihave invented a method whereby a collapsible box may be formed in thesame way that standard cardboard boxes are made: by folding a singlesheet of material. Boxes made according to the following disclosure maybe made of corrugated cardboard or plastic and are easily folded to afraction of their open volume. They open instantly, and when opened,they become structural—that is resistant to applied loads—by “popping”certain points outwards.

Construction is simple: boxes can be made of a singled sheet of foldedmaterial, or, in some applications of a rigid top surface, a pleatedside surface, and a rigid bottom surface. The simplicity of constructionleads to low manufacturing costs.

An alternative manufacturing technique would be to produce the box outof a single piece of blow-molded or roto-cast plastic. In this case itis possible to make the collapsible box entirely sealed and water-tight.

The design possibilities are extensive allowing for collapsible boxes ofdifferent sizes and proportions to be built. Beyond the ability to makesuch boxes flatten in one dimension, another embodiment of thisinvention allows boxes to be built that fold in multiple dimensions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, an element that iscomprised of a sheet of material that has been provided with a networkof hinges such that when the element is folded its edges maintain aright angle relationship is provided.

This maintained or invariant angle is a critical innovation of thedisclosed invention, allowing for a method whereby square andrectangular boxes may be constructed which may be collapsed down tocompact size and easily popped open. Boxes so constructed, according tothe present disclosure, remain fully assembled with all seams and edgesattached even as they are repeatedly folded and unfolded.

Further disclosed are boxes that have second degrees of folding suchthat they fold in half even as they flatten.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of four shapes that may be assembled to providean embodiment of the inventive assembly; FIG. 1A is a plan view of a tworegions that are assembled from the shapes shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an element which embodies the inventiveassembly;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in afirst folded condition;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in asecond folded condition;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in athird folded condition;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in afourth folded condition;

FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in a firstfolded condition;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in a secondfolded condition;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in a thirdfolded condition;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in afourth folded condition;

FIG. 11 shows an elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in afirst folded condition;

FIG. 12 is an elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in asecond folded condition;

FIG. 13 is an elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in athird folded condition;

FIG. 14 is an elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in afourth folded condition;

FIG. 15 shows a plan view of sheet comprised of four elements similar tothat shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 16 shows an exploded view of the sheet shown in FIG. 15, which hasbeen folded to a first position, along with upper and lower surfaces;

FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of a box comprised of the sheet andsurfaces shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of the box of FIG. 16 in a secondfolded condition;

FIG. 19 shows a perspective view of the box of FIG. 16 in a third foldedcondition;

FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of a box which is another embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 21 shows a plan view of box shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 20 with anoutward force applied to its sides;

FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 22 in a“popped-open” condition;

FIG. 24 shows a plan view of the box shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 20 with anoutward force applied to its corners;

FIG. 26 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 25 in a second“popped-open” condition;

FIG. 27 shows a plan view of the box shown in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 shows a perspective view of a box which is an alternateembodiment of the invention in a folded condition;

FIG. 29 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 28 in a secondfurther unfolded condition;

FIG. 30 shows a perspective view of the box shown in

FIG. 28 in a third fully unfolded condition;

FIG. 31 shows a plan view of an element which is an alternate embodimentof the inventive assembly;

FIG. 32 shows a plan view of sheet comprised of four elements, two ofwhich are similar to that shown in FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 shows an exploded perspective view of the sheet shown in FIG.32, which has been folded to a first position, along with upper andlower surfaces;

FIG. 34 shows a perspective view of a box comprised of the sheet andsurfaces shown in FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 34 in a secondfolded condition;

FIG. 36 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 34 in a thirdfolded condition;

FIG. 37 shows a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 34 in a fourthfully folded condition;

FIG. 38 shows a box which is an alternate embodiment of the invention ina first folded condition;

FIG. 39 shows the box shown in FIG. 38 in a second folded condition;

FIG. 40 shows the box shown in FIG. 38 in a third folded condition;

FIG. 41 shows a container of the invention comprised of two stackedboxes in a first folded condition;

FIG. 42 shows the container shown in FIG. 41 in a second foldedcondition;

FIG. 43 shows the container shown in FIG. 41 in a third foldedcondition;

FIG. 44 shows an assembly of the invention in a first folded condition;

FIG. 45 shows the assembly shown in FIG. 44 in a second foldedcondition;

FIG. 46 shows the assembly shown in FIG. 44 in a third folded condition;

FIG. 47 shows the assembly shown in FIG. 44 in a fourth foldedcondition;

FIG. 48 shows a group of boxes constructed in accordance with theinvention and in a first folded condition;

FIG. 49 shows the group of boxes shown in FIG. 48 in a second foldedcondition; and

FIG. 50 shows the group of boxes shown in FIG. 49 assembled into acabinet unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of four flat shapes 2, 4, 6 and 8. Shape 2 is ascalene triangle having a longer side and two shorter sides. Preferably,shape 2 has internal angles of approximately 45, 22.5 and 112.5 degreesrespectively. Shape 4 is a symmetric or isosceles trapezoid having firstand second sides of equal length and third and fourth sides of differentlengths. Preferably, shape 4 has internal angles of approximately 45 and135 degrees. Shape 6 is a scalene triangle which is essentially a mirrorimage of shape 2. Shape 8 is an isosceles triangle having first andsecond sides of equal length and a third side. Preferably, shape 8 hasinternal angles of approximately 67.5 and 45 degrees.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a region 20 wherein shapes 2, 4, 6 and 8 havebeen attached to each other by a hinged connection. Also shown in FIG.1A is a second region 22 which is essentially a mirror image of region20.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an element 24 which is comprised of regions20 and 22 which have been hingedly joined along their respective bottomand top edges. Also shown are outer edges 3 and 13 which border shapes 2and 12 respectively, as well as outer edges 5 and 15 which border shapes8 and 18 respectively.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of element 24 which has been folded to acertain degree. Outer edges 3, 13, 5 and 15 are also shown. FIGS. 4-6show perspective views of element 24 as it is folded down to a flattenedconfiguration.

FIG. 7 shows a plan view of element 24 which is folded to the samedegree as FIG. 3. Seen from this perspective, edge 3 forms an angle withedge 13, said angle being approximately ninety degrees. Likewise edge 5(which lies directly below edge 3) forms an angle with edge 15, againsaid angle being approximately ninety degrees.

FIG. 8 shows a plan view of element 24 which is folded to the samedegree as FIG. 4. The angle formed between edges 3, 13 and 5, 15 remainsapproximately ninety degrees.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show plan views of element 24 folded to the same degreeas FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively. The angles formed between edges 3, 13 and5, 15 remain approximately ninety degrees for both positions.

FIGS. 11-14 show elevation views of element 24 as it is folded, thepositions being the same as shown in FIGS. 3-6 and FIGS. 7-10respectively.

FIG. 15 shows a plan view of sheet 30 which is comprised of fourelements 32, 34, 36 and 38; each element comprises six triangles and twotrapezoids similar to element 24 as shown in FIG. 2. Also shown areouter edges 31 and 35 which border element 32 as well as outer edges 33and 37 which border element 38.

FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of sheet 30 which has been folded in athree-dimensional manner to form a loop such that edge 31 has beenjoined to edge 33 and edge 35 has been joined to edge 37. The upperperimeter 43 of sheet 30 forms a square shape as does the lowerperimeter 44. Also shown in exploded view are top surface 40 and bottomsurface 42 which each have an essentially square shape.

FIG. 17 shows an assembled box 50 wherein the upper and lower perimeterof sheet 30 have been joined to upper surface 40 and lower surface 42.

FIG. 18 shows box 50 in a further folded position. FIG. 19 shows box 50in a fully folded position.

FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of box 60 according to the presentinvention. This embodiment of the invention shows shapes 63, 65, 67 and69 at the four comers of box 60, each of which have a trapezoidalprofile rather than a triangular profile as in previous drawings. Alsoshown in this view are four shapes 62, 64, 66 and 68 that are part ofthe sides of box 60.

FIG. 21 shows a plan view of box 60. It may be seen that trapezoids 62,64, 66 and 68 lie within the interior space of box 60.

FIG. 22 shows a second perspective view of box 60. Also shown is forcevector 61 which indicates an outward force on the sides of the box.

FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of box 60 where its four sides arepushed outwards relative to the position shown in FIG. 22. This positionis a result of the force 61 applied in FIG. 22. In this position, thebox resists downwards forces on its upper surface.

FIG. 24 shows a plan view of box 60 in the same position as FIG. 23.Side shapes 62, 64, 66 and 68 of box 60 now lie outside of the box'sinterior space.

FIG. 25 shows a perspective view of box 70 which is essentially the sameas box 60 except that additional pleat lines 72, 74, 76 and 78 are shownat its comers. Also shown is force vector 71 which indicates an outwardforce on the comers of the box.

FIG. 26 shows a perspective view of box 70 wherein the outward force 71having been applied to its comers results in forcing the comers outwardsto form straight creases 72,74 and 76,78. In this position, the box willalso resist downwards force on its upper surface.

FIG. 27 shows a plan view of box 70 in the same position as FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 shows a perspective view of box 100 which is an alternateembodiment of the invention. Box 100, shown in its fully foldedposition, is comprised of a top surface 120, a folded sheet 110 and abottom surface 130. Additionally shown are four links 101, 102, 103 and104 which are attached to folded sheet 110.

FIG. 29 shows box 100 in a partially folded condition. Links 101, 102,103 and 104, which are attached to the comers of sheet 110, are rotatedrelative to the position shown in FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 shows box 100 in an unfolded position. Arms 101, 102, 103 and104 have been further rotated, creasing the comers of sheet 110 suchthat the box is stiffened and self-supporting.

FIG. 31 shows a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention,element 150 which is comprised of two regions 148 and 149. Region 148 iscomprised of shapes 151, 152, 153, 154, 155 and 156. Shapes 151, 155 and156 correspond to shapes 2, 6 and 8 as shown in FIG. 2. However, shapes152, 153 and 154, in effect, take the place of shape 4 in FIG. 2.Likewise region 149 is comprised of shapes 161, 162, 163, 164, 165 and166 wherein shapes 161, 166 and 166 correspond to shapes 12, 16 and 18as shown in FIG. 1. However, shapes 162, 163 and 164, in effect, takethe place of shape 14 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 32 shows a plan view of sheet 135 which is comprised of fourelements 140, 150, 160 and 170. Elements 140 and 160 are similar toelement 24 shown in FIG. 2, except that the symmetric trapezoid isreplaced by an isosceles triangle. Elements 150 and 170 differ fromelements 140 and 160 in that they have additional fold-lines. Also shownare edges 141 and 142 which border element 140, as well as edges 143 and144 which border element 170.

FIG. 33 shows sheet 135 which has been folded in a three-dimensionalmanner to form a loop, wherein edge 141 has been joined to edge 143 andedge 142 has been joined to edge 144. The upper perimeter 176 of sheet135 forms an essentially rectangular shape as does the lower perimeter177. Also shown in exploded view are top surface 145 and bottom surface175 which each have an essentially rectangular shape.

FIG. 34 shows an assembled box 180 wherein the upper and lowerperimeters of sheet 135 have been joined to upper surface 145 and lowersurface 175.

FIGS. 35 and 36 shows box 180 in a successively further foldedpositions. FIG. 37 shows box 180 in a fully folded position. It may beseen that as box 180 flattens, it also folds in half, somewhat in themanner of closing a book, so that its packaged size is further reduced.This additional degree of folding is due to the additional fold-lines inelements 150 and 170.

FIG. 38 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention, box 190 whichhas a pair of fold lines that define a strip 191 of material thatseparates the upper and lower halves of the box. As the box isflattened, as shown in FIGS. 39 and 40, strip 191 provides some relieffor the fold-lines at the center of the box by distributing the creaseover two fold-lines rather than one fold-line as shown in previousdrawings.

FIG. 41 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention in the form of acontainer 200 which is comprised of two boxes 202 and 204 which areattached to one another in a stacked arrangement. FIGS. 42 and 43 showcontainer 200 as it is successively unfolded.

FIG. 44 shows another embodiment, unit 300 which is comprised of twoboxes 310 and 320 which are connected by a hinge. FIG. 45 shows unit 300after boxes 310 and 320 have been rotated such that they lie side byside.

FIG. 46 shows box 310 is comprised of a lower part 314 and an upperhinged plate 312 which has been rotated around a hinged connection.Likewise, box 320 is comprised of a lower part 324 and an upper hingedplate 322.

FIG. 47 shows unit 300 after boxes 310 and 320 have been fully unfolded,thereby providing a bench with storage space.

FIG. 48 shows a stack 400 of folded boxes 402, 4040, 406, 408 and 410.FIG. 49 shows the boxes in their unfolded positions sitting side byside. It may be seen that each box has cabinet-style doors.

FIG. 50 shows boxes 402, 404, 406, 408 and 410 have been attached to oneanother to provide a cabinet unit.

The scope of the invention will now be set forth in the followingclaims.

1. A foldable construction comprising first and second members in whicheach member includes: a first element in the form of a scalene trianglehaving a longer side opposite an obtuse angle and two shorter sidesopposite two acute angles; a second element in the form of a geometricshape selected from the group consisting of (a) an isosceles trapezoidhaving first and second opposite sides of equal length, and third andfourth opposite sides of different lengths with the third side beinglonger than the fourth side, and (b) an isosceles triangle having firstand second sides of equal length and a third side; a third element inthe form of a scalene triangle having a longer side opposite an obtuseangle and two shorter sides opposite two acute angles; a fourth elementin the form of a geometric shape selected from the group consisting of(a) an isosceles triangle having first and second sides of equal lengthand a third side; and (b) an isosceles trapezoid having first and secondopposite sides of equal lengths, and third and fourth opposite sides ofdifferent lengths, with the third side being longer that the fourthside. wherein one of said equal length sides of said second elementbeing in common with the longer side of said first element and foldabletherealong; wherein the other of said equal length sides of said secondelement being in common with the longer side of said third element andfoldable therealong; wherein one of said equal length sides of saidfourth element being in common with one of the shorter sides of saidthird element and foldable therealong; wherein said first and secondmembers are connected to one another along a fold line with one of theshorter sides of the first elements, the other of the shorter sides ofsaid third elements and the third side of the fourth elements each beingin common with one another and thereby defining said fold line; whereinsaid first member and said second member being mirror images of oneanother with the third side of said second elements being disposed alongthe border of said construction.
 2. A foldable construction according toclaim 1, wherein when said construction is folded to a first extent, theother of said shorter sides of said first element and the other of saidequal length sides of said fourth element substantially form a rightangle when viewed in plan form.
 3. A foldable construction according toclaim 2, wherein when the construction is further folded, it maintainssaid right angle until fully flattened.
 4. A foldable sheet comprised offour constructions according to claim 1, wherein each construction isfoldably attached to an adjacent construction with one of the shortersides of each said first element being in common with the other of saidequal length sides of each said fourth element and foldable therealong.5. A foldable sheet according to claim 4, wherein said constructions areattached together in a loop formation, and thereby define a plurality ofside walls.
 6. A foldable sheet according to claim 5, wherein saidfourth element is an isosceles triangle and, when said sheet is foldedto a first extent, said sheet defines a square or rectangular shape whenviewed in plan form with the side walls defined by said attachedconstructions that may be flattened.
 7. A foldable sheet according toclaim 5, wherein said fourth element is an isosceles trapezoid and, whensaid sheet is folded to a first extent, said sheet defines an eightsided polygon with substantially equal internal angles when viewed inplan form with side walls defined by said attached constructions thatmay be flattened.
 8. A collapsible box comprised of a foldable sheetaccording to claim 5 and further including top and bottom elements thatare foldably attached along top and bottom edges respectively of saidside walls so that the box may be selectively flattened.
 9. Acollapsible box according to claim 8, wherein the side walls of the boxmay be pressed outwards such that the side walls have a shape thatchanges from a concave form to a convex form.
 10. A collapsible boxaccording to claim
 8. wherein the box has corners that may be pressedoutwards such that the corners change from two flat trapezoidal shapesto a straight crease.
 11. A collapsible box according to claim 10,further including four rigid links attached to said corners, said linksproviding means for pressing the corners outward.
 12. A foldableconstruction according to claim 1, wherein each second element has twointernal fold lines for allowing the construction to fold in half.
 13. Afoldable sheet that is comprised of two constructions according to claim1 and two constructions according to claim 12, wherein saidconstructions are hingedly attached to one another in alternatingfashion.
 14. A foldable sheet according to claim 13, wherein the sheethas ends that are attached together in order to define a loop formation.15. A foldable sheet according to claim 14, wherein when folded to afirst degree, said sheet forms a square or rectangular shape when viewedin plan form that may be flattened and folded in half.
 16. A collapsiblebox that is comprised of a top element, a bottom element and a foldablesheet according to claim 15.